Andre
It is amazing how most people believe so much in themselves to think that anything they do is morally justified. To them, they barely believe they are (or will be) wrong in their deeds or temperaments. But when they are faced with a situation where they are meant to test their so-called moral standards, they won’t hesitate to throw it all away. According to research, unethical behaviors like cheating, lying, e.t.c. happen more frequently than we think. This article will examine the common ways people justify unethical behaviors.
7 Common Ways People Justify Unethical Behavior
1. The Belief that the Behavior will Profit Others
People do justify unethical behaviors by claiming it is an act of altruism, whereas, it is an act of sheer selfishness. In a psychology study that involved rolling dice, each participant was rewarded with some monetary value, according to the result from his/her dice-rolling. For example, if one roll shows 5, the participant will be awarded $5.
While on it, it was discovered that participants become eager to lie about their results using some altruistic justification; they claim it made them feel more comfortable even while using deceptive means for personal gain. One other example of using ‘altruistic justification’ means to justify unethical behaviour is that of a reported university admission scandal where rich parents bribe some of the school officials to secure admission for their children. In one of the apologies from a parent, they said that “the reason for their action was to give their child the best education…., that every parent wants the best for their children.” Nevertheless, most people who apply altruism justification techniques to justify their unethical actions often have it backfire.
2. Using moral Credentials as an Excuse
In this case, people believe that a little act of kindness has let them off the hook to perpetuate unethical behaviors. In another research, two participants were given a choice to purchase an environmentally friendly item before participating in a video game competition that had a monetary reward. After they had purchased this environmentally friendly item “out of free will”, they got into the video game competition and began to cheat. Their excuse was that they had proved their moral standard by contributing to the environment even when the two activities: video game competition, and buying an environment-friendly item has no connection. To them, their good deeds have given them the liberty to engage in unethical behaviors.
3. Partial Innocence
This is a method where an individual accepts just one part of their crime, taking it as a moral justification to come out clean with other ones. According to research, “Partial Innocence” is a useful instrument for morally restoring people’s self-image, thereby helping them avoid the larger negative consequences a full confession would have coursed. Also, in the same research, people who often opt for partial Innocence are at high risk of feeling ill about themselves afterwards.
4. Criticizing those who have done Worse
Another way individuals try to justify their unethical actions is by judging others who performed the same misdeed very harshly. This is an exact scenario of “a pot calling the kettle black”, but in more professional terms, it is called “character distancing”. A practical example of this is a case of an administrator who always discredits and criticizes applicants for having inflating qualifications. But soon enough, it was discovered that they didn’t have as high of a degree and other qualifications as he had claimed. Some other examples can be seen in politicians who vehemently condemn the same crime they are fully involved in, to gain sympathy. In cases like this, people who practice “character distancing” are often careful not to be labelled hypocrites.
5. Comparing Misdeeds
This seems a bit technical, but we will try to make it easier. It has to do with justifying your misdeeds and tagging it minor because you think that other greater transgressions make yours irrelevant. Let’s look at it this way; you are defending a minor evil using a more severe evil. Let’s illustrate…Mr James stole a pack of printer paper from his office. When he was caught, he confessed to the security that other employees had also stolen tablets and laptops, and thereby his crime is no big deal because printer papers are cheaper. In this case, he accepted that he is wrong, but he feels his actions are justified because others had committed greater crimes.
6. Minimizing Effect
This has to do with one justifying their actions by minimizing the effect of their unethical decisions, thus, making it less significant. An example of this is when two people are engaged in a fight, and the first person launches an attack. They justify their actions by affirming that the victim is often guilty of the same attitude. Let’s illustrate: Victor, a college student, playing football with his teammates, happens to punch a teammate after he has been pushed down. When asked why he did what he did, he (Victor) had automatically claimed that the victim often punches people whenever he is pulled down too. So to him, he is justifying his actions by claiming he is replicating the victim.
7. Transfer of Responsibility
This is a situation where one justifies his/her misdeeds by also affirming that another did same. Let’s illustrate, Bianca took some money from her employer to offset her piling personal bills. And when she was caught, she also claimed that Vivian did it too. So, in her arguments, she is trying to justify her misdeed by acknowledging others’ misdeeds.
No matter how we tend to justify unethical behavior, the fact that it opposes the moral rules of an individual, organization, or business makes it wrong and should be discouraged by all means. Sometimes when people hide under the guise of these unethical behaviors, it diminishes the effectiveness of an ethical environment. It is important to identity types of situations and acknowledge when one has committed an unethical behavior.
